BP is asserting too much control over efforts to alleviate environmental damage from last year's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and it's time for Congress to transfer authority directly to government officials, a key Jindal administration official told senators in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

View full sizeMichael DeMocker, The Times-PicayuneGarret Graves, chairman of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana, was photographed April 19 displaying oil remaining under the coastal marsh in Middle Ground a year after the BP oil spill.

Garret Graves, chairman of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana, praised BP for providing $1 billion to begin environmental assessment work, but also said government agencies can't compete with the "armies of attorneys, marketing firms, PR campaigns, lobbyists, scientists and other consultants" the company has assembled.

"It is a modern-day case of Stockholm syndrome whereby responders are dependent upon the financial resources of and have repeatedly shown signs of empathy toward the responsible parties who hold them financially captive to the detriment of the will and best interest of the public," Graves told the Senate Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife.

Because BP controls the cleanup money, Graves said, BP has been able to move to "prematurely designate oiled areas as 'no further treatment.'" He also said BP is pushing to keep thousands of anchors used in the initial spill response in Gulf waters "where they may pose a threat to the environment, commercial and recreational fishing equipment and boating safety."

Graves also complained that BP must sign off on activities conducted by the Natural Resource Damage Assessment, a consortium that includes BP, Louisiana and other Gulf states as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Graves called on Congress to end this "inherent conflict" between the financing sources and government agencies.

"I think the equation needs to be flipped over," Graves said. "I think the public needs to be in the driver's seat. By being able to control the checkbook, you can control what's in these workplaces, how the assessments are conducted, the timelines of the assessments."

"BP does not interfere with the Trustees' role under the regulations; the Trustees, not BP, are in charge of the NRDA process," Daren Beaudo, a BP press officer, said in response to Graves' testimony. "BP is a participant. By working together and sharing information, BP hopes to expedite the ultimate restoration of the Gulf."

In addition to the $100 million BP has already spent on studies conducted under the direction of the NRDA trustees, Beaudo said, public funding for the work is also available from the oil spill liability trust fund, money over which BP would have no authority.

Graves also called on the Senate to pass a bill introduced by Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and David Vitter, R-La., that would require BP to prepay some of the fines likely to be levied against the company for Clean Water Act violations related to the spill. That would be invaluable in terms of getting an early start on remediation efforts to restore damaged ecosystems, fisheries and wetlands, Graves said.

During the hearing, Vitter said the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee plans to take up a bill after the July Fourth recess that would designate 80 percent of the Clean Water Act fines to be distributed among the five Gulf states impacted by the spill. Despite support for the bill from the Obama administration and Gulf State lawmakers, the bill has not gotten anywhere. One reason: differences between the five Gulf States on what percentage should be awarded to each state, and what limitations on the money ought to be imposed.

Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told senators Tuesday that assessing the damage from the BP spill is proceeding, though the process is lengthy. They said some initial remediation efforts are on course to begin this year.